Conclusions and recommendations
1. We
were told by a DWP Minister repeatedly in oral evidence that the
Green Paper In work, better off: next steps to full employment
would include a response from the Government to David Freud's
proposals for benefits reform. It does not, which means that
a key opportunity to consult on these proposals has been lost.
We ask the DWP why the Committee was given misleading information,
and what changed between Mr Plaskitt giving evidence to us on
18 June and the publication of the Green Paper on 18 July. (Paragraph
11)
2. We welcome the
Minister's offer to provide a 12-18 month timeline for the proposals
outlined in the Green Paper and how they sit alongside existing
initiatives. We recommend that the Government makes this additional
document available before the consultation process ends on 31
October 2007. (Paragraph 14)
3. We feel that the
Government has yet to prove that increasing conditionality for
lone parents is the best way to help them to get back into the
labour market. We therefore recommend that DWP sets out the evidence
base for its proposals, demonstrating the significantly positive
impact this policy will have on the lone parent employment rate
and on lone parents themselves, and explaining on what grounds
the age of seven has been chosen. (Paragraph 24)
4. In 2005-06 40,300
lone parents were sanctioned for not attending a work focused
interview (WFI). We are concerned that so many lone parents are
failing to attend, particularly when conditionality is only attached
to attending the WFI rather than on finding employment. We recommend
that the Government undertakes close analysis of why such high
numbers of lone parents are prepared to face sanctions rather
than attend a work focused interview. (Paragraph 25)
5. We welcome the
DWP's emphasis on ensuring that lone parents going back to work
are better off than they were on benefits. It is not right -
and it is ultimately unsustainable - to push people off benefits
but leave them mired in poverty. However, to translate this laudable
aim into reality lone parents must know how much they need to
earn to ensure that they are better off in employment. If the
Government is to follow the Australian model where lone parents
are only obliged to accept an offer of employment which makes
them financially better off working, the number of Better-Off
Calculations conducted must be increased and DWP must make the
necessary resources available to Jobcentre Plus for this. (Paragraph
29)
6. The Green Paper
does not explore how the Government's proposals will impact upon
lone parents with disabled children but does seek views on this
as part of the consultation process. We urge the Government to
assess fully the impact of increased conditionality on lone parents
with disabled children and ensure that appropriate and flexible
employment support and opportunities are developed for them. (Paragraph
38)
7. We urge the Government
to ensure that local employment strategies include appropriate
support for those from ethnic minorities who are not in work to
access labour market opportunities, ensure that work is done with
local employers to achieve this, and include specific targets
for achieving this objective. It is important that the successes
of the Ethnic Minority Outreach Programme are sustained in broader
local strategies. (Paragraph 43)
8. We agree with the
Minister that the DWP needs to explore ways to assist disabled
people, particularly those with mental health difficulties, to
find and sustain work. We agree that local partnership working
is vital and ask DWP to clarify its role and responsibilities
in brokering local relationships, and set out which Department
is taking the lead in the various cross-government initiatives
which are underway. (Paragraph 46)
9. We welcome the
introduction of the personalised New Deal, as advocated by this
Committee in a number of our reports, particularly given that
this programme will incorporate the principles of Building on
New Deal, the flexible employment support programme that, despite
initial intentions, was never piloted. (Paragraph 50)
10. We welcome the
introduction of the personalised New Deal but we urge the Government
to ensure that the rationalisation of existing programmes is carefully
planned, ensuring that there are no gaps or overlaps. (Paragraph
53)
11. We are concerned
that there remain a number of unanswered questions about what
will happen to existing contracts for the New Deal programmes.
We ask the Government to clarify the transitional arrangements
and how they will impact upon customers, contractors and Jobcentre
Plus staff as a matter of urgency, particularly given DWP's troubled
history in this area. We reiterate the importance of ensuring
that contracting procedures are transparent and encourage efficiency
and accountability amongst programme providers. (Paragraph 54)
12. We welcome a focus
on retention and progression in the Government's welfare-to-work
policy but there is little evidence that the DWP has considered
in any detail how this will be reflected in providers' contracts
or in the type of support available on employment programmes.
There are no consultation questions in the Green Paper on this
issue and we believe that the Government has missed a key opportunity
to canvass the views of experts and stakeholders. (Paragraph
58)
13. We welcome the
Government's commitment to co-ordinating employment and skills
strategies. We repeat the conclusion in our report on the Government's
Employment Strategy that assisting people who are out of work
and have low skills to undertake education or training is crucial
to improving their ability to sustain employment in a competitive
labour market.
(Paragraph 61)
14. We welcome the
introduction of an adult careers service to support jobseekers
in returning to the labour market. We recommend that the Government
ensures that this service adds value to the role of Jobcentre
Plus Personal Advisers and that joint-working strategies are developed
early so that customers have easy access to high quality careers
and employment advice. (Paragraph 64)
15. We ask the Government
to set out the specific measures it plans to introduce to tackle
the issue that disabled people account for a third of all those
without formal qualifications; and to explain why this was not
covered in its response to the Leitch review. (Paragraph 67)
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